by Lesley Aeschliman

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 26, 2009

I am part of a generation that was very young when the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope, was first released to movie theaters in the 1970's. I have seen all six of the Star Wars films in their entirety, and I have to say that I prefer the original trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) over the second trilogy (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith). It's not that the second trilogy is bad, but the writing and acting doesn't have the same kind of "magic" that the original trilogy had. While the second trilogy may have had better special effects, that didn't make up for the other elements. And, I also have to add the caveat that I prefer the original versions of the original trilogy over the "Special Edition" versions that were released in the later 1990's. For the most part, I don't think most of what was added in the "Special Edition" versions really added much to the original trilogy.

Once I take the second trilogy out of the running, I have to compare the films in the original trilogy to determine which one I think is the best. While I remember being taken to the theater to see The Empire Strikes Back, I don't have a strong memory of actually watching this film there, because I fell asleep during it. Of the original trilogy, I think The Empire Strikes Back is probably the weakest of the three. It's a necessary part of the trilogy, but like many second films in a trilogy, it's more of a "bridge piece" than an exciting film to watch.

After eliminating The Empire Strikes Back, I have to compare A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. While A New Hope is a decent film, and it has the nostalgia factor of being the first film released for the Star Wars franchise, I can't quite say it's my favorite of the six films. It comes a very close second, but it just doesn't quite rank as the best Star Wars film, in my opinion.

When all is said and I done, I believe that Return of the Jedi is the best of the six films in the Star Wars saga. By this point in the original trilogy, the viewer has come to know such characters as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, CP30, R2-D2, and Darth Vader and have been rooting for the "good guys" to triumph. So, as a viewer, I was satisfied with how all the elements of the story came together in Return of the Jedi to bring the original trilogy to a close. This film also has the right combination of action and drama to keep the viewer interested in the story being told

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